Could we intercept interstellar comet C / 2019 Q4 Borisov?

When Oumuamua crossed our solar system two years ago, it sparked a wave of excitement in the astronomical community. Here is the very first interstellar object that to be Observed by human trackers, and the mysteries surrounding its true nature and composition have led to rather interesting theories. There were even proposals for a quick mission on which we could meet.

And now that a second interstellar object – C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov) – has been detected going through the solar system, similar proposals are in progress. One of them comes from a group of scientists from the Initiative for Interstellar Studies (i4is) in the United Kingdom. In a recent study, they evaluated the technical feasibility of sending a mission in this interstellar comet with the help of existing technology and discovered that there were some options!

In many respects, T4 C / 2019 (Borisov) represents an opportunity to conduct types of research that were not possible with 'Oumuamua. When this mystery object was observed for the first time, it had already made its way closest to the sun, beyond the Earth, and was coming out of the solar system. Nevertheless, what we have learned about 'Oumuamua has led to the conclusion that it was an entirely new class of celestial objects.

In addition to those who dared to say that it was a comet or an asteroid, others also hypothesized that "Oumuamua could be a fragment of a comet that exploded when he passed near our Sun, or even an extraterrestrial solar sail. Another interesting discovery is the fact that similar objects probably cross our solar system regularly (many of them remain).

For these reasons, a mission that could study such objects closely is highly desirable. Andreas M. Hein, executive director of the I4is board, chairman of the technical research committee and one of the co-authors of the recent study, told Universe Today by e-mail:

"By investigating interstellar objects very closely, we would obtain unique data on other star systems without actually stealing them. They could provide unique information on the evolution and composition of other star systems and exoplanets that they contain. Interstellar objects are cool because they look a bit like: If you can not go to the mountains, let it come to you. It will probably be several decades before you can send a spaceship to another star. Therefore, interstellar objects could be an intermediate solution to learn more about other stars and their planets. "

Moreover, these objects probably travel between star systems for hundreds of thousands (even millions) of years. As a result, they have undoubtedly picked up materials en route or wear marks of encounters with other objects or forces. In short, their composition and surface characteristics can tell us a lot about what exists in the interstellar medium.

It is not the first time that i4is proposes to send a spacecraft to rendezvous with an interstellar object. In 2017, Dr. Hein and several colleagues from i4is (co-author of this study) wrote an article entitled "Project Lyra: Sending a Spacecraft to IO / Oumuamua (former A / 2017 U1), the Interstellar asteroid ". was conducted with the help of the asteroid prospecting company Asteroid Initiatives LLC.

The project was so named because of the origins of Oumuamua, which, according to astronomers, came from the general direction of Vega – the brightest star in the northern constellation of Lyra. After taking into account the speed at which Oumuamua left the solar system at that time – 26 km / s (93,600 km / h, 58,160 mph) – they determined that any proposal would be a compromise between three factors.

These include the time when a mission can start, the speed at which it can reach and the time it will take for an appointment with the object. In these circumstances, they felt that the best solution was to wait for future technological advances, such as those pursued by Breakthrough Starshot (a laser-controlled interstellar solar sail concept).

These conclusions proved to be very applicable, thanks to the detection of a second interstellar object crossing our solar system in as many years. In its latest study, the research team again used the Optimum Interplanetary Trajectory Software (OITS), developed by Adam Hibberd, a member of the team, to evaluate all of the options available to them. sending a spacecraft to the rendezvous with an interstellar object.

These included the optimal launch vehicle (such as NASA's Space Launch System (SLS) or SpaceX's Falcon Heavy), the optimal trajectory of the mission and the best type of spacecraft. In the end, they determined that humanity had the ability to meet an interstellar object using existing technology and developed a mission architecture that could make this possible.

This mission would rely on a heavy launcher and could alternatively use a 2 ton (1.8 ton) or 3 kg (6.6 lbs) CubeSat spacecraft. Depending on when it was launched and what would be its preferred trajectory, it might also need to fly over Jupiter and a Solar Oberth maneuver to catch up with C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov). As Dr. Hein explained:

"Our results show that we already have the technology to visit these objects, namely 'Oumuamua and C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov). As for Oumuamua, we can launch a space vehicle there even beyond the year 2030. There is still a lot of time to develop such a space vehicle. The case concerning C / 2019 Q4 (Borisov) is a little more delicate because it is faster than 'Oumuamua. But even for this object, we could have sent him a two ton spacecraft with a Falcon Heavy, if we launched it in 2018. "

"Later missions are also possible, but requires a bigger launcher. Future telescopes will be able to detect such objects much sooner and with proper preparation, we can send a spaceship on a mission to meet. So we have the technology to do it and with the discovery of the fourth quarter of C / 2019 (Borisov), we also know that we probably have many opportunities to fly to such an object. "

Again, the presence of an interstellar object in our solar system is a major source of excitement. In addition to all the opportunities to learn from them, the C / 2019 T4 and 'Oumuamua are encouraging because of the involvement of their presence. Not only do they confirm that distant star objects pass through our system quite regularly; they also show that we are at a point where we can detect, track and study them.

But knowing that in the future we will be able to study them closely, it is particularly exciting! In fact, ESA is currently working on a mission that could very well be that of rendezvous with a future interstellar object. It is known as the Comet Interceptor, a concept of "fast class" composed of three spacecraft that wait in space until an immaculate comet appears and catches up quickly!

"We are imagining two types of research," said Dr. Hein. "First, remote sensing, for example with a telescope taking pictures. Secondly, we can directly analyze the materials from the object by pulling an impactor into it and capturing some of the dust plume particles generated by the main spacecraft. This would provide unique information about the composition of the object. "

Regarding what this research might reveal, Dr. Hein also has some thoughts on this: "I can only speculate, but we could see evidence that organic molecules, basic building blocks of life, actually travel between stellar systems and who knows, maybe life itself could actually spread between the stars of our galaxy. "

Further reading: arXiv